We’ve all heard the advice: Lean in so you can climb the corporate ladder and smash through the glass ceiling. But what does it mean to lean in if you can’t get your foot on the first rung? How do you stay on the ladder and move up? Where can you find the tools and support you need to break through that ceiling? And how can those of us who have succeeded on our journey ensure there’s a path forward for others?

These questions highlight a critical point—leaders in security, privacy, and risk must counterbalance their leadership expertise with technical know-how. Breaking through the ceiling requires proficiency in both leadership and technical skills. A CISO that is unable to build a strong team or consensus with internal peers won’t succeed. But even the best leaders can fail in a highly technical field if they don’t stay current on cyber trends and regulations. Helping security, risk, and privacy professionals address the hard questions of community and advancement head-on is one of the best ways to succeed.

Finding the Leader Within

Let’s take a look at how community supports the advancement of women, starting with the leadership facet. Because many leadership skills are independent of role and vertical, it’s important for growing leaders to have not only a strong foundation of general leadership skills but also the domain-specific leadership skills and knowledge required to make sure that teams perform as optimally as possible. To help members acquire those skills, look for programs that can help people find the “Leader Within.”

For example, a six-month development program created by leadership and cyber experts to help professional women at all levels recognize and optimize their strengths and hone their authentic leadership presence can supercharge someone’s success. Knowing how to communicate effectively is a huge part of executive success. A program that can assist leaders with their conversational intelligence and leverage the power of neuroscience to help participants elevate conversations and understand how communications patterns can drive new outcomes. Knowing how to communicate effectively is also an invaluable resource for learning how to navigate challenging conversations. Professionals who have been in cyber for more than a few months have probably already had their share of those. Knowing how to break the news about a breach or a material deficiency in an audit is one of the most powerful tools a cyber leader can have in their kit.

Cyber Knowledge Leaders Need More

As powerful as leadership skills are, cyber leaders need more. They must also be up to the minute on the latest exploits, vulnerabilities, and regulations. That doesn’t mean everyone in cyber needs to get down in the nitty-gritty details of all tech. There are not many CISOs who can write their own secure crypto algorithms or CPOs that can review directory source code and identify potential privacy concerns. But it does mean understanding how new tech works, what new services do, and how upcoming regulations can impact the organization.

Technical education can be found in seminars, webinars, regional meetings, and annually at in-person conferences. For example, at the EWF National Conference, I work closely with the members of the EWF program committee to source the talks and expert insights that will give leaders the knowledge they need. For some, an hour overview from an expert is all they need for their role, while others can use the information learned at conferences to craft their own ongoing learning or deep dive into the topics most salient to their interests and requirements for their job.

Networking: All Together Now

With the right leadership and tech skills, people have most of what it takes to get up that ladder, but few can make that trip alone. Like a marathoner that gets energy from the crowd as they struggle through mile 26, networking and the support of our peers can be the motivation we need to make it through the hardest times.

Build a network and community by participating in non-profits, industry associations forums, and mentoring programs. Advanced mentoring communities use a combination of platform-driven decision support and human review of mentor and mentee backgrounds to ensure a strong synergy between matches. Because mentorship is a two-way street—the opportunities for learning go both ways.